The Laban Workbook for Actors: A Practical Training Guide with Video

Description

The Laban Workbook is a compendium of unique exercises inspired by the concepts and principles of movement theorist and artist, Rudolf Laban. Written by five internationally recognized movement experts, this textbook is divided into single-authored chapters, each of which includes a short contextual essay followed by a series of insight-bearing exercises. These expert views, honed in the creation of individual approaches to training and coaching actors, provide a versatile range of theory and practice in the creative process of crafting theatre. Readers will learn: Enhanced expressivity of body and voice; Clearer storytelling, both physical and vocal, facilitating the embodiment of playwrights' intentions; Imaginative possibilities for exploring an existing play or for creating devised theatre. Featuring many exercises exploring the application of Laban Movement Studies to text, character, scene work, and devised performances - as well as revealing the creative potential of the body itself - The Laban Workbook is ideal for actors, teachers, directors and choreographers.

Katya Bloom, PhD, taught Laban on the core acting course at RADA in London, 1989 to 2009. Author of The Embodied Self, and co-author of Moves, she is based in the USA. Barbara Adrian is Professor of Theatre Arts at Marymount Manhattan College, NY, USA. She is author of Actor Training the Laban Way. Tom Casciero, PhD, is Theatre Professor at Towson University, MD, USA. Jennifer Mizenko is Professor of Dance and Movement for the Actor at the University of Mississippi, USA. Claire Porter is a freelance Movement specialist, performer and director. She teaches at NYU, and internationally, and is based in the USA.